


Ori'vod

by ShaeTiann



Series: Between Worlds [3]
Category: Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Gen, Prompt Fic, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:46:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25855342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShaeTiann/pseuds/ShaeTiann
Summary: Jaster Mereel practically adopted a stranger who appeared out of literally nowhere in the middle of a battle. Jango isn't certain how he feels about that.
Relationships: Jango Fett & Ahsoka Tano
Series: Between Worlds [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1831423
Comments: 25
Kudos: 357





	Ori'vod

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kittenlzlz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kittenlzlz/gifts).



> By [Kittenlzlz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kittenlzlz/pseuds/Kittenlzlz)'s request. Here ya go!

"Think that blaster's clean enough?"

Jango looked up from his work to glare at Myles, who grinned back, unrepentant. "Hmm. Think you missed a spot, better scrub it again just to be sure."

 _"Usen'ye, shabuir 1." _ Jango was nominally in charge while Jaster took Veran and Miika to shake down their client over Kyr'tsad's obvious trap. There wasn't much to do though, after the camp had been packed away into their ships. Gear maintenance and sleep were the most common choices, although Silas and Gaavi were cheerfully arm-wrestling each other while some of the others placed bets.

Myles slid onto the log facing the blackened remains of their fire pit and tucked himself as close against Jango's side as their armour would allow. "Something's bugging you, _vod 2, _ and I'm betting it has montrals."

"Fuck off." But he didn't have anything stronger than annoyance behind the cursing. It just… felt weird, to see Jaster's sigils on a stranger. His _buir 3 _ had good reasons for the decision, and nobody had objections to hiding this strange woman among them. But the only other person who wore _Jaster's_ sigils was Jango. And that made it… awkward. Ashla was much closer to Jaster's age than Jango's, and she carried herself like a soldier who'd been in the field for decades. A Mandalorian adopting another adult into their clan wasn't uncommon, and it wasn't even _official_ in Ashla's case; just a temporary disguise. 

So why did it bother him so much?

"She said she's from the future," he mumbled, scrubbing grit out of the blaster's textured grip. "But not how _far_ into the future. How much does she _know?"_

"You could always ask."

Jango twitched and turned on his seat to see Ashla leaning in the _Mando'kote'_ s open hatch. She tapped her montral wryly. "I can hear better than most humans. Didn't mean to eavesdrop."

He blushed, but there really wasn't anything to do but take the offer while it was there. "How far into the future are you from?"

"Hmm." She frowned for a moment and joined them on the felled tree. "That might be giving away too much right now? But I can tell you I knew your sons."

Jango's brain blanked while Myles exclaimed, "No way! Jan'ika is gonna have kids?"

Her face scrunched up for a moment. "I guess they count?"

Adopted, then. Jango wasn't sure why that idea was such a relief. Maybe because he just couldn't imagine having kids with someone? 

"I fought in a war beside them," Ashla said quietly. "They were some of the best people I've ever known."

"Did we ever meet?" The question slipped out, unbidden, and he grimaced. "Sorry, you don't have to answer that."

There was something sad in her smile. "No. You were killed in battle before I was old enough to be sent to the front lines."

Myles was frowning now. "But…. Okay, you're a Jedi. Jedi haven't got involved in a war in centuries."

"That's right."

"Must have been a _big_ war, then," Jango's friend concluded. "One the Republic wouldn't ignore."

"It spanned the galaxy," Ashla said, nodding. "And there was nothing glorious about it. Just people fighting to survive against an army of battle droids."

Myles and Jango both made expressions of distaste. Droids were the worst opponents: unstopping and honourless, and they made no distinction between warrior and noncombatant. A galaxy-spanning war using droids would leave nothing in its wake.

"You're planning to do something about that, right?" Jango asked, and Ashla nodded.

"Some factors have already changed -- Mandalore fell into chaos after Jaster was killed, and Kyr'tsad weakened you and then sided with the enemy." She paused, looking thoughtful. "With Tor Vizsla dead _now,_ it will take them a while to regroup. His son isn't old enough to claim leadership right now." 

"Vizsla's got a kid? _Jatë 4," _ Jango muttered. "His _t'adyc al'verdë 5 _ right now is Kulda Gedyc. I didn't see her in the list of the dead--"

"She's alive," Myles said, and spat into the dead leaves in disgust. "I owe her for Arco's ear."

"Grow into your boots a little first," Jango grunted. Gedyc was Jaster's age, and nasty with her vibroblades. At sixteen, Myles didn't have the training or experience to take her on.

 _"Nu jareoryc, vod 6. _ But someday."

Jango studied Ashla for a moment; she studied him right back, the two of them getting the other's measure. He had no idea what she saw in him, although there was a bit of… sadness? recognition? in her eyes. 

"Can I ask how old you are?" he said at last, and amusement tugged at the corner of Ashla's mouth.

"Does it matter?"

"Not really. I just want to know if you're my _vod_ or my _ba'vodu 7." _

Ashla gave a laugh of startled delight. "I'm thirty-three Standard years old."

Jango nodded; she was over twice his age. _"Ba'vodu,_ then. If you're alright with that?"

She leaned to the side and knocked her pauldron against his. "As long as you're okay with it. I did just kind of invade your family."

Jango found himself grinning; Ashla had clearly picked up a lot of Mandalorian social gestures from fighting alongside his future sons. "'S not an invasion if you were invited."

A growing hum preceded the return of Jaster's shuttle, and everyone paused what they were doing; a few went to rouse the ones who'd bunked down before the shuttle landed. Jaster emerged first and stayed at the top of the ramp to be seen.

"Our _client_ took some persuading," Jaster announced, "but eventually he admitted that Death Watch paid him to lie to us about the missing squad. He even offered to pay us double what we were offered in compensation. I agreed, but since he never asked us not to discuss his tendency to hire under false pretenses, we'll be warning other mercenaries who are active in the sector. I wish him luck getting assistance ever again."

The additional payment probably came from the credits Death Watch had paid the leader of Korda's Defense Force to lure the _Mando Ori'ramikadë 8 _ in. Nobody really cared about the origin of the credits, as long as they weren't being used against the True Mandalorians.

Jaster's helmeted gaze tracked the crowd, and Jango noted how it hitched and paused on Ashla. The Togruta woman did wear _beskar'gam_ well, clearly accustomed to the weight of armour; the _kutë 9 _ that had fit her was a shade of green that managed not to clash with her cinnabar skin, and she'd painted the cleaned plates in slapdash ivory white edged with violet, making her stand out at the back of the group. Jaster and the others had left before Rem had made sure the gear fit Ashla, and it was probably a surprise to his buir, since they didn't have any Togruta in Headhunter company. Rem was still in the process of modifying a _buy'ce 10 _ for her.

Then he caught Ashla's smirk as she noticed Jaster's attention and winked back at his _buir,_ playful and challenging. 

This was either going to be a problem, or entertaining. 

**Author's Note:**

> Mando'a translation  
> 1\. "Fuck off, asshole." (back)  
> 2\. buddy (back)  
> 3\. parent (back)  
> 4\. great (in this case, sarcastically) (back)  
> 5\. second in command (back)  
> 6\. "I'm not suicidal, bro." (back)  
> 7\. aunt/uncle (literally: sibling of my parent) (back)  
> 8\. Mandalorian Supercommandos (back)  
> 9\. armoured undersuit (back)  
> 10\. helmet (back)  
> 


End file.
